Blacksburg United Methodist Church will host a presentation of Moms Demand Action’s BeSMART program from 7-8 p.m on Sunday, April 29 at the church’s Whisner Building (111 Church Street, Blacksburg).
Moms Demand Action, is the non-partisan movement of Americans demanding reasonable solutions to address our nation’s culture of gun violence according to its website.
SMART is an acronym of the group’s messages: Secure guns in homes and vehicles; Model responsible behavior; Ask about unsecured guns in other homes; Recognize the risks of teen suicide; Tell your peers to be SMART.
The presentation is designed to educate adults on how to prevent child access to unsecured guns said the press release and reduce preventable deaths with responsible gun storage.
Every year, nearly 300 children age 17 and under gain access to a gun and unintentionally shoot themselves or someone else, and nearly 500 more die by suicide with a gun according to a recent CDC study. 1.7 million children live with unlocked loaded guns according to the Center for Injury Research and Prevention at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute.
Open to the public with free childcare provided during the presentation. For more information see the Facebook event page at
https://www.facebook.com/events/1571324272976915/.
